Chemokine receptors

Chemokine receptors are 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors that are activated by the binding of one or more chemokines.  Chemokines are a family of chemoattractant molecules with more than 50 having been identified to date.   Chemokine receptors are divided into different families, CXC chemokine receptors, CC chemokine receptors, CX3C chemokine receptors and XC chemokine receptors that correspond to the 4 distinct subfamilies of chemokines they bind.  Chemokine receptors are found predominantly on leukocytes and are important in leukocyte trafficking, as well as leukocyte-dependent processes.  Chemokines have a role in angiogenesis, apoptosis, T-cell differentiation and phagocyte activation, while inappropriate or prolonged expression of chemokines and their receptors can lead to autoimmune disease by incorrectly targeting self antigens for destruction by cytotoxic T-cells and macrophages. 

Further reading

Zlotnik et al (2006) The chemokine and chemokine receptor superfamilies and their molecular evolution. Genome Biol. 7 243 PMID: 17201934

Hughes and Nibbs (2018) A guide to chemokines and their receptors. FEBS J. 285(16) 2944 PMID: 29637711

Poeta et al (2019) Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors: New Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy. Front. Immunol. 06 March 2019 PMID: 30894861

Zhou et al (2023) The role of CXCL family members in different diseases. Cell Death Discov. 9(1) 212 PMID: 37393391